Cancer Misdiagnosis Claim Resolved Through Negotiation

Posted on: October 1st, 2016 by Editor

A woman’s claim for cancer misdiagnosis has been resolved through out-of-court negotiations, resulting in a six-figure settlement of compensation.

The woman, who has remained anonymous throughout proceedings, visited her GP with concerns over a growth on her foot. The mole had recently changed shape and and size, as well as becoming itchy. However, the GP assured her that this was not a problem and sent her home.

Not pleased with this diagnosis, the patient decided to visit another GP in the same practice a few weeks later. However, this GP gave a similar diagnosis to the first and saw no need to refer her to a specialist. In neither appointment was the size of the mole taken.

As the mole continued to worry the woman, she decided to visit a third doctor at another practice. The GP decided that she was not able to completely remove the mole, though offered to cut off the top. The patient refused this treatment, and was finally referred to a dermatologist in her local hospital.

The dermatologist undertook a biopsy of the growth, which was then sent away to diagnostics. When the results came back, they regrettably showed that the mole was in fact cancerous. The woman underwent immediate surgery to remove the rest of the mole, though further tests indicated that the cancer had metastasised. She is currently undergoing treatment for the secondary cancer.

Once she was correctly diagnose, the woman consulted a medical negligence solicitor and subsequently made a claim for cancer misdiagnosis compensation against the first GP and their practice. In the claim, she alleged that had the referral been made earlier, it would have allowed an earlier diagnosis and her current prognosis may be better.

However, both the GP and the surgery disputed the claim for compensation, denying that they were liable for any misdiagnosis. Yet once they were threatened with court action, their insurance company entered negotiations with the woman and her solicitors and the claim was settled for six figures.